1
|
Pika S, Fröhlich M. Gestural acquisition in great apes: the Social Negotiation Hypothesis. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:551-565. [PMID: 29368287 PMCID: PMC6647412 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-017-1159-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Revised: 12/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Scientific interest in the acquisition of gestural signalling dates back to the heroic figure of Charles Darwin. More than a hundred years later, we still know relatively little about the underlying evolutionary and developmental pathways involved. Here, we shed new light on this topic by providing the first systematic, quantitative comparison of gestural development in two different chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus and Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) subspecies and communities living in their natural environments. We conclude that the three most predominant perspectives on gestural acquisition-Phylogenetic Ritualization, Social Transmission via Imitation, and Ontogenetic Ritualization-do not satisfactorily explain our current findings on gestural interactions in chimpanzees in the wild. In contrast, we argue that the role of interactional experience and social exposure on gestural acquisition and communicative development has been strongly underestimated. We introduce the revised Social Negotiation Hypothesis and conclude with a brief set of empirical desiderata for instigating more research into this intriguing research domain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simone Pika
- Department of Primatology, 'Virtual Geesehouse', Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Marlen Fröhlich
- Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Fröhlich M, Sievers C, Townsend SW, Gruber T, van Schaik CP. Multimodal communication and language origins: integrating gestures and vocalizations. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1809-1829. [PMID: 31250542 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The presence of divergent and independent research traditions in the gestural and vocal domains of primate communication has resulted in major discrepancies in the definition and operationalization of cognitive concepts. However, in recent years, accumulating evidence from behavioural and neurobiological research has shown that both human and non-human primate communication is inherently multimodal. It is therefore timely to integrate the study of gestural and vocal communication. Herein, we review evidence demonstrating that there is no clear difference between primate gestures and vocalizations in the extent to which they show evidence for the presence of key language properties: intentionality, reference, iconicity and turn-taking. We also find high overlap in the neurobiological mechanisms producing primate gestures and vocalizations, as well as in ontogenetic flexibility. These findings confirm that human language had multimodal origins. Nonetheless, we note that in great apes, gestures seem to fulfil a carrying (i.e. predominantly informative) role in close-range communication, whereas the opposite holds for face-to-face interactions of humans. This suggests an evolutionary shift in the carrying role from the gestural to the vocal stream, and we explore this transition in the carrying modality. Finally, we suggest that future studies should focus on the links between complex communication, sociality and cooperative tendency to strengthen the study of language origins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marlen Fröhlich
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christine Sievers
- Department of Philosophy and Media Studies, Philosophy Seminar, University of Basel, Holbeinstrasse 12, 4051, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Simon W Townsend
- Department of Comparative Linguistics, University of Zurich, Plattenstrasse 54, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, University Road, CV4 7AL, Coventry, UK
| | - Thibaud Gruber
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, CISA, University of Geneva, Chemin des Mines 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, OX1 3SZ, Oxford, UK
| | - Carel P van Schaik
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Katsu N, Yamada K, Okanoya K, Nakamichi M. Temporal adjustment of short calls according to a partner during vocal turn-taking in Japanese macaques. Curr Zool 2019; 65:99-105. [PMID: 30697245 PMCID: PMC6347064 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Turn-taking is a common feature in human speech, and is also seen in the communication of other primate species. However, evidence of turn-taking in vocal exchanges within a short time frame is still scarce in nonhuman primates. This study investigated whether dynamic adjustment during turn-taking in short calls exists in Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata. We observed exchanges of short calls such as grunts, girneys, and short, low coos during social interactions in a free-ranging group of Japanese macaques. We found that the median gap between the turns of two callers was 250 ms. Call intervals varied among individuals, suggesting that call intervals were not fixed among individuals. Solo call intervals were shorter than call intervals interrupted by responses from partners (i.e., exchanges) and longer than those between the partner's reply and the reply to that call, indicating that the monkeys did not just repeat calls at certain intervals irrespective of the social situation. The differences in call intervals during exchanged and solo call sequences were explained by the response interval of the partner, suggesting an adjustment of call timing according to the tempo of the partner's call utterance. These findings suggest that monkeys display dynamic temporal adjustment in a short time window, which is comparable with turn-taking in human speech.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noriko Katsu
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazunori Yamada
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masayuki Nakamichi
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
|
5
|
Fröhlich M, Wittig RM, Pika S. The ontogeny of intentional communication in chimpanzees in the wild. Dev Sci 2018; 22:e12716. [PMID: 30156360 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The onset of intentional communication in children's first year of life represents a major milestone in human cognitive development. Similarly, it is well established that our closest living relatives, the great apes, communicate with signals characterized by at least first-order intentionality. Despite the well-documented influence of developmental experiences on socio-cognitive abilities in apes, the developmental trajectory of intentional signal use as well as effects of social exposure remain poorly understood under naturalistic conditions. Here, we addressed these issues by studying the ontogeny of intentional communication in chimpanzee infants of two subspecies (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii/verus) and communities living in their natural environments. Overall, we found that gestures and bimodal signal combinations were most commonly accompanied by markers of intentional communication: audience checking, persistence to the goal, and sensitivity to recipient's attentional state. Within individuals, the proportion of communicative behaviours associated with goal persistence and sensitivity to attention increased with age. Cross-sectional comparisons between infants revealed an age effect on the use of audience checking. Context, interaction partner and site affiliation affected the production of specific markers irrespective of infants' age. The present study provided hitherto undocumented evidence for the development of three important markers of intentional communication in great apes. Moreover, our results suggest that social exposure impacts early intentional signal use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marlen Fröhlich
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Humboldt Research Group 'Evolution of Communication', Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Simone Pika
- Humboldt Research Group 'Evolution of Communication', Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Comparative Biocognition, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
The function of primate multimodal communication. Anim Cogn 2018; 21:619-629. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-018-1197-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
|
7
|
Taking turns across channels: Conversation-analytic tools in animal communication. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 80:201-209. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
|